Tybalteva in the Maia Song Contest

Tybalteva participated six times in Maia Song Contest, an international music competition whose first edition was held on 10 July 2016 in Farsknordi Central Arena, Farsknordi, Björnska.

History
In May 2016, the Tybaltevan national broadcaster (TYRBC), member of the Maia Broadcasting Union since 1994, expressed its will to take part in the forthcoming music contest with the aim of showcasing the country's culture and talents to the world.

Maia Song Contest 1
On 7 June, it was announced that Tybalteva's first ever representative would be internally selected and both the singer's name and song would be disclosed at a later time. The country's participation costs should amount to no less than 2,600,000 tybaltos ($200,000), which fueled rumours about an established artist entering the contest.

On 8 June, Tybaltevan head of delegation Tuorem stated during morning television show "Ghe Malèt Creàspù Tek Teà?" ("Do You Want Some Tea?") on TYRBC1 that he would implement a system of shifts to ensure the participation and representation of each state every five editions of the contest, provided that the state expected to take part does not withdraw. Otherwise, the highest bidder out of all remaining states would be given an additional opportunity to send an artist.

On 13 June, Patrick Maneau, head of entertainment for channel TYRBC1, said in an interview with Archeviers gazette that Tybalteva's first effort would "involve and represent all states": the singer is of Archevieran and Asciùdazan descent, the song was written by a famous Petràn composer, the lyrics would be in English (second language of state of Sunaflowerù) and the teams that worked on sound mixing and video shooting were entirely Taesegùan. "We believe that - for our debut in MSC - a joint effort was the best way to present our country in the best possible light while sparking interest among the whole population regarding the contest."

On 21 June, TYRBC officially stated that Tybalteva would make its debut in the first edition of Maia Song Contest and specified that the artist and entry would be revealed on 26 June during a special press conference to be held at the company headquarters in Gatineau.

On 26 June, it was announced that famous singer Lara Fabian would represent the country with her song Mademoiselle Hyde while actress Emma Watson would be the official spokesperson.

On 29 June, Tybalteva was set to perform in 8th position (first half) in the grand final of Maia Song Contest 1, following Kashykia and preceding Izola. Fabian eventually placed 15th with 46 points. After the show, she said that it has been a wonderful experience both as a singer and as a human being, she thanked all the people who voted for her and explained she was honoured to be a part of the first edition of the contest.

Maia Song Contest 2
On 11 July, the results of the first contest were discussed on the news on TYRBC1 and Patrick Maneau, head of entertainment, was invited on that occasion. He stated that: "Maia Song Contest 1 has been the most viewed programme last night in Tybalteva - with about 2,1 millions viewers - which we are very happy about considering people didn't even know the existence of this contest a few months ago. We worked really hard to present ourselves to the world in the best way possible and placed 15th with 46 points, it is an encouraging first score that we hope to improve in the next editions. We congratulate our Oxenri neighbours for their victory and look forward to their show. We already started working on our second participation and received several offers, it is now up to the currently designated federal state to make a decision. Internal selection will remain our preferred method for now."

On 20 July, the state of Archeviers announced on their official Tybaltbook account that their debut Maia entry would be revealed on 29 July during the monthly Pop Musicaènter show to be broadcasted on TYRBC1.

On 21 July, judoka Teddy Riner published a picture of a script entitled "Official Tybaltevan Spokesperson" on his Tybaltgram account, with the caption "Je passe des JO du sport aux JO de la musique :D" (going from the sports Olympics to the music Olympics :D), which has been the subject of articles in main newspapers and discussions on MaSC fan forums.

On 28 July, the lineup of the Pop Musicaèenter show was revealed on the official website of Mandelier-le-Havre, the city where the show would take place the day after. The 25 participating artists were asked about MaSC via interviews and social media, but none of them were willing to talk about it.

On 29 July, at the end of the Pop Musicaèenter show, the presenter announced that Zazie would be representing the country in Oxenryd with her song La Dolce Vita. Zazie then came on stage and performed a medley of her hits, including an extract of the official Tybaltevan entry in Maia Song Contest 2. At the after-party, she said: "actually, I am looking forward to this contest, I watched the first edition live at home with my daughter and we had a lot of fun. Then I said to myself: why not give it a try? I do like new crazy experiences and was astonished to know one of my songs ended up being chosen out of more than 100 songs. We have lots of talented people in our country, so that is a great honour for me to be the first Tybaltevan representative to sing in French in the Maia Song Contest. Regardless of the final result, I hope I will pave the way for other French-speaking Tybaltevan artists in the future."

On 1 August, Tybalteva was set to perform in 15th position (second half) in the second semi final of Maia Song Contest 2, following Ezzul and preceding United States of Talados. Eventually, it was revealed that the country was not part of the ten qualifiers of the semi final.

Later on, Zazie talked about her feelings when she was interviewed at the MaSC after-party: "You know, it is always disappointing to present oneself in such an intimate and meaningful way and find out that most people did not find one worthy of qualification, participants who would deny that would probably lie. However, I am not ashamed of my performance, I did what I had to do and viewers decided who they wanted through, the semi final was unpredictable and there simply wasn't enough room for everyone in the final. Some great songs were unfortunately overlooked." She was also asked about the strong criticism directed at her song among a handful of other delegations: "Well, our head of delegation told me that indeed my song was publicly portrayed in not very flattering terms, especially from the Arkaystian and Temekylopian delegations, if I remember correctly. They are entitled to their opinions of course, but I reproach them for their lack of diplomacy: our people supported the song and I hope no one was offended by what has been said. They alledgedly stated that my song was sleep-inducing and devoid of quality as it didn't deserve any point... Well, La Dolce Vita wasn't designed as a lullaby, but I guess that is good thing if I'm able to get them to sleep, at least I do have some kind of effect on them! (Laughs) Seriously though, I prefer thinking those words came from their lack of understanding regarding refined and not-so-instant compositions rather than gratuitous nastiness, which is okay if all they appreciate is instant and formatted music. They weren't able to grasp it, fair enough, but saying it isn't worth any point is excessive in my opinion. No song that entered MaSC so far deserved such a treatment."

Maia Song Contest 3
On 28 August, the TYRBC officially announced Tybalteva would take part in Maia Song Contest 3, to be held in Daugapiļs, Uslye. The broadcaster has made no comment about the results, however the official data released indicated that viewing rates dropped sharply due to the country's non-qualification (1,6 million viewers watched the second semi-final while about 550.000 viewers only watched the grand final).

On 29 August, the state of Taèsegù launched a MaSC commercial to advertise their upcoming first contribution to the contest: actress Suchitra Pillai was lying down on a red heart-shaped sofa in a white room with no furniture, her hands on her chest, and whispered: "Can you feel it? Come experience with me the rhythm of your heart at the Maia Song Contest 3 in Uslye in September!" A couple of hours later, the TYRBC confirmed that Pillai would be the next spokesperson of Tybalteva in the contest.

On 1 September, head of delegation Tuorem revealed some information about the working process on his Tybaltbook account: the third Tybaltevan representative has eventually been chosen and it is more than a mere singer, it is a multi-skilled artist native of Joekeong, state of Taèsegù; the composer has added the finishing touches to the song while the shooting of the music video has started tonight; the budget allocated to that effort amounts to 2,500,000 tybaltos (about $192,300), a sum thrice as substantial as the total expenditures of last contribution La Dolce Vita; finally, the song is expected to be presented during a special press conference on 7 September.

On 7 September, during a press conference held at Seksyaènka night-club, Joekeong, it was stated that Tàesegùan icon Gain would represent the country with her arresting song Paradise Lost at Maia Song Contest 3. Gain seized that opportunity to explain the concept of her song, answer journalists' and fans' questions regarding her upcoming performance in the second semi-final, sign autographs and close the ceremony by giving an intimate five-song impromptu acoustic concert. She said: "I am a hard-working woman and the preparation for the contest is ongoing, I feel confident and comfortable because I trust my team: all these people you see around this table have been collaborating with me for years, we have taken up lots of challenges in the past, so our approach to MaSC 3 will be no different. We will do our best to achieve the best placing possible". Spokesperson Suchitra Pillai congratulated her and joined her to perform a piano-and-vocals version of Paradise Lost.

On 7 September, Tybalteva was set to perform in 13th position (second half) in the second semi final, following Zarta and preceding Darkwood. At the end of the show on 16 September, Gain advanced to the grand final where she sung in 10th position (first half), following Björnska and preceding Respublika. She made a brief comment when leaving the Ice Palace to return her hotel: "Yes, we are all really happy with this first qualification we have been working hard for, but it isn't finished yet. On the contrary, the real hard part is only just beginning, so we will stay focused until our job is done. Good night guys."

On 29 September, Gain placed eleventh in the final. The track charted in ten countries, including No 1 in Arkaystia, Kaohportia and Tybalteva. The Jeokeongan singer gave a relaxed press conference right after the voting results: "All I can say is that I'm happy about what we achieved for our country; regardless of people's expectations, we tried our best and that's what should be remembered. Congratulations to Ivy Levan who definitely put on a show and succeeded in garnering votes from all over Maia. I would like to thank everyone who supported me and voted for us, we "connected" and that is the best reward I could get". Then she was asked if she would be willing to give the contest another try, maybe even next edition; Tuorem, the Tybaltevan head of delegation, answered for her: "We have already talked about it several times together and her decision is final: she will not return because she simply never does again what she has done already. Besides that, she has a new album to promote and lots of concerts scheduled, so she is going to be busy in the coming months. As for next edition, no decision has been made yet. Actually, I don't even know if our country will go to Temekylopia since the state responsible for our participation changes every edition and we have yet to start negotiations with Asciùdaz regarding the terms and conditions of our potential collaboration. The deadline is short, but stay tuned, hopefully we'll work out a deal in a heartbeat."

Maia Song Contest 4
On 2 October - six hours before the end of the deadline - the TYRBC announced via its website that Tybalteva would take part in Maia Song Contest 4, to be held in Pojkland, Temekylopia. Two hours later, head of delegation Tuorem posted a video of himself on his Tybaltbook account to inform his followers about the current situation. He said that a last-minute agreement had been found with the state of Asciùdaz, that is in charge of the country's participation for the first time ever. The budget released amounts to 650,000 tybaltos only (about $50,000) - the lowest budget ever allocated to a Tybaltevan effort - because the state considered the contest hasn't been profitable enough so far to invest large sums of money in it and preferred focusing on the renovation of the Angelo Nerosselli stadium instead. No artist was contacted by the state, therefore Tuorem had to find a representative by himself; he believes that his choice - an established name - will show a more spontaneous facet of the country to the world. He said the song would be revealed as soon as the music video is shot.

On 9 October, it was announced that La Oreja De Van Gogh would represent Tybalteva with their hit La Niña Que Llora En Tus Fiestas. Later on, it was revealed that they would perform in 2nd position (first half) of the first semi-final, succeeding Maty Noyes from Arkaystia and preceding Anouk from Flowek. The famous band gave a special acoustic concert in a club on Grande Strada, Pojkland, on the day before the first semi-final.

On 23 October, La Oreja De Van Gogh advanced to the final where they are to perform in 18th position, succeeding Caravan Palace from Glorimala and preceding Tiger JK feat. Yoonmirae & Bizzy from Otaku Republic. Right after the results, the singer Leire reacted to Kaohportia non-qualification: "Until the very last moment, we were hoping to see our second country make it. I am very sad because Cristina Balan gave a wonderful performance tonight and she deserved a ticket for the final in my opinion. I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like ballads tend to be underappreciated; Tybaltevans generally enjoy that genre and I'm pretty sure they would have rewarded Cristina had both countries been in the same semi-final."

On 31 October, the band placed 24th with 59 points in the grand final, tying with Anouk from Flowek. None of the members wanted to comment on these results, however, the state of Asciùdaz reacted to them through a communiqué a few hours after the show ended: "We feel deeply sorry for La Oreja De Van Gogh that will remain one of the few flagship bands of our country in the hearts of our people, but these poor results clearly show that we Asciùdazans were right not to invest in the contest from the beginning, as political voting plagues this international event. We were not convinced about the added value of MaSC, and now it is clear that we would probably opt out of it if we were offered a second opportunity. Therefore, we can officially state that Asciùdaz will vote against the renewal of the five-edition participation agreement - inviting each Tybaltevan state to send an act one after the other - signed before the first edition of MaSC."

That virulent statement led to thousands of MaSC-supportive messages of shocked fans on social networks. The main news bulletins relayed the information and started questioning a possible withdrawal of the country.

Maia Song Contest 5
On November 11, Tybaltevan head of delegation Tuorem confirmed the country's fifth participation in the contest through an interview to main TYRBC1 news bulletin, after several days of uncertainty: "I can officially say Tybalteva will be represented in Cordence - as all our states agreed on a possibly renewable 5-edition participation prior to MaSC 1 - so the rumours about sudden withdrawal were untrue. However, there is indeed a strong disagreement between our company and the state of Asciùdaz; we think their post-contest reaction was really inappropriate, but we will do our best not to jeopardize the states' commitment to work with us for that event. At the moment, the state of Petrà is in charge of our fifth entry and everything runs smoothly so far, even though some members of their team have already showed their unwillingness to cooperate given our viewing rates, which drop a little bit more with each new edition. Our lowest figures were registered during the final of MaSC 4, which attracted 470,000 viewers only despite our qualification. The issue is complex, but I'll do whatever I can to reverse this trend." On the same day, it was announced that actor Tyson Beckford would be the country's official spokesperson for that edition.

On November 13, it was revealed that Petràn singer Halina Mlynkova would be the fifth artist to represent the country in Maia Song Contest. Through an interview given on TYRBC1, Mlynkova stated that her song Bóg Tu Zmarł would be the entry. A few hours later, the song re-entered the Tybaltevan charts at #5.

On November 19, it was announced that Mlynkova would perform in 4th position (first half) in the first semi-final, succeeding Rykka from Lussantia and preceding Samantha Jade from Daléríqa. Eventually, it was revealed that the country was not part of the ten qualifiers of the semi final.

After the results were disclosed on December 22, Halina reacted to her last place in semi final 1: "I am very dissapointed. To be completely honest, I can stand over the song and performance on the night and I don't think I could have done any better, I'm happy enough that I gave it my best shot. However, the contest is unfortunately not devoid of political biases and it just happens that our country does not benefit from that situation. For whatever reason, it's out of your hands. You can only do your best and after that, it's up to everybody else to vote and put you in the final and it just didn't happen."

Petr Tankarov, official representative of the state of Petrà at the TYRBC, stated that that last place was a "disgrace for our state" and that he would follow the decision of the state of Asciùdaz not to renew the project, on the occasion of the Maia Meeting to be held in Gatineau the next morning.

Maia Song Contest 6
On November 23, the Maia Meeting - organised to renew the five-edition participation agreement signed by all Tybaltevan states back in Mai 2016 - took place at the TYRBC headquarters in Gatineau. The outcome of the discussions was not the one expected from the broadcaster as the interested parties did not manage to come to an agreement: the states of Asciùdaz and Petrà withdrew from the project, invoking poor results, geopolitics and lack of profitability for their own territories; the state of Sunaflowerù expressed its wish to give the contest another try while the state of Archeviers started dithering due to the diminishing interest of the population in that event; finally, only the state of Tàesegù - that brought the country its best placing so far - supported the renewal of the agreement.

Invited to the TALKATIVE! weekly talk-show broadcasted on TYRBC2, Tybaltevan head of delegation Tuorem stated that, in the absence of formal agreement, the country's continued participation was now uncertain. He affirmed Tybalteva would be represented in Urtistan thanks to the reactivity and goodwill shown by the state of Sunaflowerù: "We are currently discussing our options since they seem to have a handful of artists interested in this journey. However, with Asciùdaz and Petrà out and reluctance from Archeviers, I'm not optimistic on my ability to guarantee a long-term participation. I will probably have a second fruitful collaboration with Tàesegù, but past the two next editions, I fear the TYRBC will have to issue an ultimatum to all Tybaltevan states by convening an extraordinary meeting... It is not looking good, but let's hope all will go well in the weeks to come."

On December 28, the TYRBC revealed via its official website that popular singer Robbie Williams would fly the Tybaltevan flag in Maia Song Contest 6. However, the presentation of the song was postponed to January 3, 2017, as the music video was not entirely shot yet. Most Tybaltevan media and MaiaSC fans approved of that choice, even though singer Lana Del Rey was rumoured to be selected right after the last edition of the contest ended.

On January 3, 2017, it was revealed that Williams had picked the song Party Like Russian, despite reluctance from several media and personalities due to its alleged "controversial" lyrical content.

Withdrawal
On 2 february 2017, TYRBC stated that due to decreasing viewing rates recorded each edition, the contest would be taken off its programme grid "to give way to a brand new national entertainment show, closer to Tybaltevan interests", implying the country would no longer take part in it. As a result, the broadcaster also expressed its will to become an associate member of the MBU, rather than an active member as was the case until their last participation.

Contestants
{{legend|gold|Winner}} {{legend|silver|Second place}} {{legend|#cc9966|Third place}} {{legend|#FE8080|Last place}}
 * Table key


 * 1.The song features a few lines and words in English.

Voting history
As of #1, Tybalteva's voting history is as follows: